Alex and Amanda talk with Evan Smith, CEO of The Texas Tribune, a digital-only, not-for-profit news organization that operates in Texas. Evan joins us to discuss what he's learned about the opportunities and challenges for local, digital journalism, and be sure to note his definition of journalism around the 16 minute mark.
Local Media: A Conversation with Christopher Ali
In the second episode in our series on the Business of Local Media, we pose many of our questions about the challenges facing local media to expert Christopher Ali, author of Media Localism: The Policies of Place (University of Illinois Press, 2017).
The Business of Local Media
Amanda and Alex launch a new series of episodes that focus on the business of local media. This episode discusses what local means in this context, what we hope to learn, and the particular challenges local media face.
Inside Cinetopia – A Look at the Business of Film Festivals
In this episode, Alex goes to the Cinetopia Film Festival in Ann Arbor and Dearborn to learn more about the business of film festivals and the role they play in getting films distribution. First, Ariel Wan, Director of Marketing and Programming for the festival joins him in North Quad Studios to talk about the festival. Then, later in the episode, we hear from filmmakers whose films screened at the festival. The voices you'll hear in that segment: Bo Burnham (writer/director, "Eighth Grade"), Qasim Basir (co-writer/director, "A Boy. A Girl. A Dream."), Michael Curtis Johnson (writer/director, "Savage Youth") and Michael Dweck (director, "The Last Race").
You can also listen to this episode and subscribe for future episodes on Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts.
Aymar Jean Christian Talks Open TV and the Creative Possibilities of Internet-Distributed Television
Aymar Jean Christian joins Amanda in North Quad Studios to talk about his book Open TV: Innovation Beyond Hollywood and the Rise of Web Television which looks at the opportunities for web series in the early phase of internet-distributed video. We have a wide-ranging chat about the business behind these shows, the storytelling they made possible, how quickly the portal ecosystem changes, and our concerns about a post-net neutrality U.S.
David Craig Talks the Business of YouTube and Social Media Entertainment
We've been lucky to have some guests come through North Quad Studio in recent weeks. The first is David Craig from USC to talk about his ongoing collaborative research project on Social Media Entertainment. David drops a whole lot of knowledge in this podcast that spans discussion of many social media platforms and revenue models.
Author Interview-We Now Disrupt This Broadcast: How Cable Transformed Television and the Internet Revolutionized It All
Alex takes the reigns and interviews Amanda about her new book, We Now Disrupt This Broadcast: How Cable Transformed Television and the Internet Revolutionized It All.
What are Netflix and MoviePass Doing to Media Businesses?
Amanda and Alex dig into some recent media headlines to discuss whether and how they matter. We work our way through a variety of Netflix stories including its purchase of distribution rights for The Cloverfield Paradox and Annihilation, its original movie strategy (Bright and more), and what all this means for theatrical distribution. We also talk about going to the theater and some new insights about MoviePass, before finishing off with Netflix' big Ryan Murphy deal.
Recode Media Interview with MoviePass CEO Mitch Lowe
